When I taught as RISD- I noticed my Japanese students always had a shoe rack at the door. My husbands Chinese friends also did not wear shoes at home.

My husband and I always take our shoes off at home- it keeps the place much cleaner.

I must say I wince but grin and bear it when people arrive in my home and leave their shoes on. I would prefer they did not- but I have no idea what to say without sounding like Betty crocker- which I am not.

I like no shoes for comfort and cleaning reasons. I'm redoing my kitchen right now, so I'm wearing shoes inside for safety, but I like barefoot or, in the winter, slippers. I actually said this past weekend how excited I was that it was almost time to break out the slippers.

In Atlanta, it seems that most of the houses I enter could care less. I pet sit and have never had a person ask me to remove my shoes. I only have one set of friends who have a shoes off policy and they are from India. I however don't make people remove their shoes unless the mulberry tree directly over my front sidewalk and porch has berries on it.

I take my own shoes off as soon as I walk through my door, but generally wouldn't take my shoes off in someone ELSE's home unless I was staying awhile or very comfortable with the host. Usually it's the same at my own apartment - I expect folks to wipe their feet, but wouldn't ask them to take their shoes off.

Slippers only past the entry way for me at my house. I grew up in Moscow and that's a must there in all seasons. People always had slippers for guests and some people just traveled with their own. Kids had to have slippers or clean shoes to change into at school.
If I'm having people over, they're welcome to keep their shoes on. I may even have some extra slippers for those that choose to deshoe but are chilly.

Who cares? I just want those socks!

Shoes off. I even kick off my flip flops at other people's houses unless I don't know them really well.

I come from a shoes-off home and my bf from a mostly shoes-on home. But our home is shoes-off for us, shoes-off for considerate guests & family and grin and bear for everyone else.

Many guests unfortunately don't take off their shoes when we say 'you may leave your coat and shoes here', even though we have special guest slippers if they have need for them. But we are getting better at asking and drawing a line.

We're a shoes-off house, but I don't usually ask guests to do so. Our house is almost all carpeted and I just vacuum after they leave. Then again, usually our guests are close friends or family who feel comfortable enough to take their shoes off anyway. I do however make my daughter's friends do it - muddy kid feet that tend to end up on furniture are a totally different matter!

I like the idea of providing slippers to all guests, but geez, that could get expensive! Also, what about different sizes? I'm a size 9.5/10 and decent footwear is hard enough for me to find, I wouldn't expect hosts to go out of their way to get big slippers for me. Plus, how does a guest know who has worn them before? Ew! Socks however - washable, inexpensive, fun - sounds like a great alternative. Plus you could give them as a party favor, and knit them yourself.

Brazilians leave their shoes on, in most cases. In Canada, where we live, shoes off. I don't even remember being in a house in Canada where people where their shoes indoors. And at school my son has to remove his shoes and wear his indoor ones, in all seasons.

we are shoes off- all the time. Guests are always shoes off too.... no exceptions. It took a while to get my Dad in the program but he does it now....
In the winter in Michigan you do NOT want that crap tracked all over your house.....

I think it's all well and good if you and your family would like to live in a shoes-off home (I grew up in one) or if you live in a country that it is customary, but I think if you're having a soiree, you are probably making other out-of-the-ordinary sacrifices anyway. {Like perhaps moving some furniture around, or leaving out special hand towels or soaps for guests.) And you will most definitely need to clean up after the party anyway, so why not let people be comfortable with shoes on. My thought is, I want my guests to be comfortable, with or without shoes but sometimes as the host you have to sacrifice.

Funny like customs can be different from a place to another! Here in Paris it would generally be considered as gross for guests to take of their shoes (kinda like showing underwear...) - or for the hostess to ask them to do so; besides, who would want to walk barefoot in a foreign place? Of course culture and/or climate may lead to different behaviors in other parts of the world - although I doubt that going barefoot is admitted in formal dinners, be it in Paris, New York or Moscow... or in any circumstance where one is expected to dress up!

Shoes-on for my home. I'm extremely uncomfortable in a shoes-off house. I have planters fasciitis so it can be quite painful to stand around barefoot (with or without socks). Plus, it just feels overly familiar to take shoes off in someone else's home if they're not family.

saw this post a couple of months ago...

OFF! AT THE DOOR!

@TacoBell - that's exactly what I was thinking. I'm pretty sure this topic has been covered several times already..

We are shoes-off which is evident by the pile of shoes at the door. I don't know that I would ever ask people to take their shoes off, but most do when they get there.

I think if you are having a party though, you should let people keep their shoes on. It is a special event/occasion.

I had someone step on doggie poop and get it all over our floors and then he sat crossed legged on our sofa and got some on their as well. Needless to say, I was very annoyed and grossed out. I ask people to take their shoes off but I want a sign to make it clearer to people.

I would prefer shoes off, as I grew up in a shoes off home. HOWEVER, I'm not a big fan of feet. So I'm ok with shoes on. But just in the common areas. Not that my guests should be traveling into my bedroom, anyway.

I always take my shoes off at home, but my husband refuses to until he knows for sure he won't be going out again (usually about 8 or 9 pm) because he's too lazy to put his shoes back on again. I find it extremely annoying because he tracks tons of dirt (and muddy water in the winter) in with him and it gets all over the apartment.

I have never minded if other people don't take off their shoes when they come over. I want them to feel comfortable, and I know it can be wierd with bare/socked feet when it's not your home. I'm fine with cleaning up a little extra after a party.

personally, i can't feel at home unless i've removed my shoes, so mine is a shoes-off apartment. the only exceptions i make are for delivery/repair/hired persons and my 75-year-old father. everyone else has to take their shoes off before they get past the hallway rug.

my boyfriend grew up in a "if your shoes aren't on, you aren't fully dressed" household. i don't think they even know what their bare feet look like. i think it's kind of repressive and sad.

I live in a "Shoes Off" home, definitely. I usually try to ignore it if someone is oblivious to our sock feet and shoes by the door, but it really bothers me to have outdoor shoes walking around my home. In winter/wet/muddy weather I will mention it as I greet guests at the door though.

If in doubt as a guest, definitely ask your hosts. The shoes issue is very much a cultural thing and people tend to feel pretty strongly about their preference.

We prefer shoes off (Indian home) and have a couple of large baskets to toss them in by the door, so most visitors do get the hint. Still, we're lenient with guests. The dogs track in so much dirt that the purpose is somewhat defeated anyway.

I actually do in-home therapy here in MN, and even my clients regularly ask me to take off my shoes. If you've been walking through 3ft of mushy snow wiping your shoes on a rug is not going to get them clean enough for carpeted walking. Even in the grossest client houses, I suck it up and remove my shoes. I can always wash my socks later.

I think its rude for guests to leave their shoes on or at least not ask. I certainly do that when I visit someone. They shouldn't have to clean up after me.

Default shoes off, only on if they INSIST they don't mind.

OFF. It's dangerous otherwise. Sealant on tar streets comes off on shoes, and can be tracked into your home. The sealant is a known carcinogen.

See this article for more:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34809699/ns/us_news-environment/

Personally, I never wear shoes in my house, and I always try to be conscious wherever I am a guest (just look for the pile of shoes by the door!), but I never "enforce" the rule...my friends all just slip theirs off at the door, I've never had to say a word.

We are canadians who spent four years in St. Louis, MO. The first year we were there I would cringe everytime someone who come into our house with shoes on, and I think our friends who cringe everytime we took our shoes off at their door. I slowly got used to it, even though we still removed our shoes. When we moved back to Canada it had to adjust back!

I'm of Chinese-Japanese descent, so I'm used to the shoes-off tradition (we actually have a 'landing spot' by the door for people to put their shoes on), BUT, my husband is American and for his family, shoes-on is the norm when you visit someone's house.

Basically these days, if my husband's family members are visiting = shoes on. I don't ask them to take them off because my husband insists on that (but in return, my husband promises to always take off his shoes at our house instead of walking through our house in his work boots).

If it's my family members/ Asian friends = shoes off (I don't have to encourage them to take 'em off, my friends and family members will do it without asked).

I have pets, so I prefer to wear some type of footwear such as slippers, otherwise you will have hair stuck to the bottom of your feet.

I always dictate to guests what they should wear, how they should sit or stand, what they should read or not read in the bathroom, and so on. It's my house, my rules!

I remember growing up as a kid in Korea watching American tv shows like Cosby thinking..wow, they can wear shoes in the house? look, they are even lying down on bed with their shoes on!

Finland is also a shoes-off country (with the weather, it makes sense), and I was really squicked out by American carpeted houses with all the dog poop and spit and god knows what from people's shoes rubbed into the carpets. I didn't want to get off the furniture and touch the floor. I thought, haven't they heard of sanitation here? No wonder they live shorter lives than Northern Europeans. Now I am more used to it and just mildly disgusted. - A family I know in Finland has a charming collection of designer felt slippers to offer their guests, from here http://www.lahtiset.fi/mallisto/aki-choklat-for-lahtiset-mallisto.html
The felt shoes are traditional, but this designer has updated them for modern wearers.

It's a pet peeve of mine to arrive at someone's home and be asked to take my shoes off. Especially if it's for a party or an occasion where I'm dressed nicely for it. Shoes are usually part of a woman's ensemble plus I'm only five feet tall and most of the time my pants drag under my feet without shoes! It makes me feel uncomfortable. If it's a good friend or I'm the only guest, I usually have no problem abiding by the no shoes rule. I get it. On a day to day basis everyone in my family sheds their shoes at the door. But I think if you're inviting people into your home, their experience and comfort level should trump a little extra vacuuming on your part.

I think that when you visit someone else's home, you should show respect for your hosts by asking whether shoes are off or on. Just because you are a guest doesn't entitle you to track in the contents of the street because you 'don't feel comfortable' not wearing shoes.

I have indoor shoes that I change into at the door. I have a few pairs of those ugly crocs one for myself and a couple of pairs for guest with a few pairs of really cozy, thick socks that sit in the entry way cabinet. I cannot go barefoot because of a tendon issue and I bring my crocs with me when I visit my friends house with the no shoe in house rule.
If I have a party then I let people wear shoes, I just do a major mopping the next day.

hrhprincessfiona, I don't really read Apartment Therapy to discover the meaning of life anyway, and this is a good topic to get people discussing, so I am not too shocked to find it on AT every once in a while. If you're really concerned about what the meaning of life is, I think some Tolstoy is a good place to start.

As a guest, I don't mind removing my shoes at the door as long as there are some basic things provided:

Clean, simple slippers
A shelf upon which to place my shoes.
A place to sit while I remove my shoes.

Please don't expect me to lean against the wall, attempt to stand like a flamingo or sit on the floor while I untie my wingtips.
Don't expect me to leave my $400 Ferragamos in a jumble with your kids Sketchers.
Don't expect me to think that it's cute to wear your niece's Hello Kitty slippers that are covered w/ dog fur.

I know of one person who allows shoes in her house because a) her house is messy and hazardous and b) the flooring is cold linoleum.

Yet I still take my shoes off because who actually likes wearing shoes? They're really not that uncomfortable. If I'm wearing shoes that don't really allow socks, I throw a pair of socks into my purse and put them on when I get there. It's really not that hard.

whoops I meant to say "they're really not that comfortable".

In fact it's like sitting around with chunky bricks on my feet. I wouldn't even be able to sit cross legged or anything. I would constantly think about "what have I stepped in recently and how much of it is now trailed across the house?"

what bepsf said.

I get cold feet, and I don't want to wear someone else' manky bunny slippers.

If it's a party, then my shoes are part of my outfit, and trust me, I'm not going to step in dog shit in my $(undisclosed) Maison Martin Margielas

If I've been out tromping through the marshes, and have bog mud on my klomppen, I'll leave them at the door.

If I visit an Asian/Indian home, I know I'll need to remove my shoes, but I also know that the home will be clean and usually warm.

Shoes off - it keeps having to clean the carpet to a minimum. Now it's an exception if the guest has brought clean shoes to wear while here. I don't want dirt tracked into my home unless the guest also would like to clean it for me.

For those who claim they can't be comfy in their hosts' guest slippers, why not bring your own? Or bring clean shoes? I'd think most would be fine with you switching into the clean shoes.

temporarynest - I guess I'm the only one who consider guest towels are the clean ones with no stains. The hand soap on the counter is the same I use and the same brand I always buy. Plus I tend to vacuum before having a group of people over - I really don't want to have turn around and vacuum afterwards along with having to get on my hands and knees to wipe up the stuff the shoes left.

I'd only leave my shoes on if someone insisted but then again I don't feel comfortable hanging out at random people's houses anyways, so therefore I already know the rules around the people I do frequent. The only place I leave my shoes on is my stepmother and that's because she has several indoor dogs...and as she has put it, she'd rather a guest not step in anything.

After we had our first baby, guests (friends) came over and took off their shoes (without being asked.) He said he removed his shoes because "Would you walk around in the baby's crib with your shoes on?" He had a point (he is also half Japanese.) We've been shoeless ever since (8 years now.)

I'm perfectly okay with people leaving their shoes on in my home. What I cringe at, unfortunately, are high heels. I have a nice little collection of pock marks in my hard wood floors around my kitchen bar from my housewarming party. If I send out an invitation I try to, as politely as possible, ask in advance to skip the high heeled shoes.

bepsf.... dang straight.

Are we really bringing up this topic AGAIN? I guess AT is running out of topics to cover. It's that or I've been on this site too long.

Shoes off please. That goes for the guests too. I keep clean footies on hand. However, my 'guests' are usually just my close friends as my 267 sqft. studio just couldn't accommodate more than four people at a time.

I'm Half-Asian and it's always been shoes off at home growing up. Now, as an adult, my home is a shoes off home.

I hosted a party of 20 a couple months ago and I stated in the invitation that all shoes come off at the door. I also stated that I would provide fresh clean new white OR black socks at the door for those with horrible feet, holey socks or who didn't want to do bare feet. The Hanes socks were also their party favors to take home with them.

Good Option: "Kids shoes off house" which we have had ever since returning to the US. Kids LOVE to take their shoes off, and they are the ones who stand on your couch, coffee table, bed, and should be encouraged to do so! Teenagers put their feet up on the coffee table, couch, curl up in the chair--they take theirs off too. Parents are cued in by seeing the pile of kids shoes by the door--and no one has complained yet.
PS, not all of us have been reading every post for years--by the number of comments I would say this is a hot topic regardless of past posts--I look to current posts for info and ideas--not the archives!

Really? This question again? I havent even been reading AT for very long (maybe a year or so) and I'm pretty sure I've seen this post at least once, if not two or three times before.

Having grown up on a farm, with a carpenter for a daddy I'm a shoes on in the house person. That said I'm not at all a carpet person.

So shoes or slipper boots at all times. Keeps me warmer too.

I do however have to hoover quite a lot.

Culturally it's a huge "no no" to have your shoes on in the house. I realized moving to the States that shoes on seems to be the norm. I have a box near the door with thick wool socks and guest slippers and made a sign that says "Shoes are very lovely things but not on carpet or belongings". That being said I still have some guests who are just not going to remove their shoes, and I am not going to be a rude hostess and demand it of them as much as I prefer it.

Shoes off, it's cultural. Studies have also shown that shoes-off tracks much less dirt and bacteria in the home. And thankfully I don't have friends like bepsf so no worrying about soiling their precious expensive shoes, or how they look while taking them off. (Really? Of all the reasons.)

I live in Mexico, and here you ALWAYS leave your shoes on indoors! The hot climate means 2 things:

1. Socks are too hot.
2. Windows are always open, meaning more dust on the floors no matter how much you clean. Barefoot is not an option, unless you want dirty feet.

Flip-flops are usually worn around the house.

OK, we are not talking about leaving out our old skanky slippers for folks to wear! The point is to have a fresh pair of SOMETHING for guests who want something on their feet. In Japan anyway, everyone has tons of NEW slippers--not unlike the ones you get on a first class flight--for every guest who wants a pair. Same can be done here with socks, slipper socks, or even flip-flops (which we do in Texas). The point is that these are "inside" shoes. My husband has a pair of "inside" loafers--and since they never go outside, he can wear them inside all he wants.

Per Carrie Bradshaw arriving at a shoes off party:
Hey! This is an OUTFIT! If I knew I was going to have to take off my shoes I'd have worn a HAT!

"For those who claim they can't be comfy in their hosts' guest slippers, why not bring your own? Or bring clean shoes? I'd think most would be fine with you switching into the clean shoes."

So I'm supposed to carry around a change of shoes or slippers when I go out barhopping on the chance that someone whom I might meet & may invite me over for a nightcap will have a "No Shoes" policy?

Why don't I just bring an overnight bag too?

I like to take off my shoes at home & often wear flip flops or slippers. If I'm having a few people over, I'd rather they take their shoes off, but ONTHEOTHERHAND, some people get so annoyed when they have to take their shoes off and wouldn't be comfy at all. I'd rather my guests be comfortable than me! Besides, I can vacuum when they leave, right?!

lunarismoon.blogspot.com

Shoes off seems like a waste of energy when my dog is usually running in the door after me or rolling around on the floor.

Not again.

I am from Canada, and every home I have ever visited around her has been shoes off. I have never had a guest leave their shoes on, it was always assumed that they would remove their shoes -- didn't matter if the house was carpeted or hard floored, shoes come off at the door so as not to track dirt or wet into the house. I never thought it was any other way until I visited friends in the US and they didn't care!

All cleanliness points aside, if you live in a condominium building, for your neighbors' sake - make your home a shoes-off one! Few things are more annoying than my upstairs neighbors having guests over and then hearing them stomp around all night. And like another poster said, high-heels are the worst offenders. They're clanky and destroy beautiful wood floors.

how many times a year are you going to post this?

I take my shoes off in my apartment purely for comfort. Otherwise, my rule is shoes on unless I've been asked expressly, we're family or close enough, or there's a child of carpet-licking age in the house.

Because of knee/foot problems, I nearly always wear shoes in my house so that I can wear my custom orthotic inserts. So I also prefer to keep my shoes on as a guest, because walking around barefoot or stocking-footed for a long time hurts my knees. But I try to be respectful of my hosts and take off shoes if they have a strictly shoes-off house.

In the winter though, taking off shoes in our house is an absolute must. We live in a snowy area so shoes that have been outside bring in tons of slush, sand, and salt and make our floors a disaster. When there's snow on the ground I separate my indoor and outdoor shoes and change them when I enter/leave the house.

Living in Alaska there's too much grime in the summer and too much snow in winter to track into the house. Plus we have carpet (which I hate). It's pretty much the norm up here to take shoes off at the door.
If we have guests who are older, or have problems walking without shoes, then by all means leave them on.
I notice when I visit family on the East Coast they look at me like I'm crazy for taking off my shoes.

we're a no-shoes household but i can't imagine asking a guest in a suit or silk dress to take his/her shoes off. how odd that would be!

I tend to default to shoes on in my home. I live in Houston, we don't get snow except once or twice a year. If my shoes are soaked from rain, they come off, if I'm in the north where it snows, I take them off (it makes sense). And if I'm at a friend's house who has a shoes off policy, I usually am perfectly fine taking them off.

The only time that I've been miffed by being asked to take off my shoes was when I was buying an entire bedroom set from someone who was moving the next day off craigslist. I and my friend had to carry and move furniture down the flight of stairs and out to the uhaul (it took about an hour). They insisted we take our shoes off. I was so afraid that I was going to drop furniture on my feet or that, on the outside trek, I'd step on something sharp (because you don't stop at the door every single time when you're holding a 150 lbs dresser to put your shoes on, load it in the truck, and then take them off again to go upstairs and grab the next heavy item). If I had thought about it, I would have prepared and gotten some of those over-shoe slipcovers that workers use when then come to your house, or they could have thought of it.

You know, that's another option that people haven't listed. A Shoes-off home could easily invest in a package of these overshoe covers to both accomodate their cleanliness requirement and the comfort of their guests (I prefer to be shod).
Shoe Covers
more shoe booties
and yet another resource

shoes off! we have hardwood floors but still say no to shoes. we wear socks and comfy slippers..

Being Half-Japanese, I'm used to the shoes off mentality. My boyfriend is American so he is used to shoes on and will often wear shoes in the house. I wear flipflops or ballet shoes in the house. Otherwise, I may wake up to a surprise no the floor should one of the dogs get sick in the middle of the night!

At mom's house, shoes off completely. She also offers slippers to her friends when they come over.

If you have young pups in the house, you should always take your shoes off especially if you visited a place with possible or known history of Parvo as it can travel on your shoes and you could track it back your pup. I almost did this without much thought and was grateful my corgi didn't get sick as she wasn't fully inoculated yet.

Shoes off here also. We wear slippers and ask guests to bring theirs if they choose. I don't like the idea of putting them on when I visit friends so it's a little unreasonable to expect them to do so when they visit us.

We chose to go shoes off in our new house to protect the hardwood. We don't have lots of guests, but most of them kick theirs off too -- but not because we ask or expect it. It's just more casual.

However, if we had a party or dressy event (VERY unlikely!!), we'd never consider asking folks to take off part of their clothing! It's just a damn house -- carpeting can be cleaned, hardwood gets it's dings. People are more important than things.

The only time I'd enforce no-shoes would be when the shoes are obviously going to track mud, tar, berries that stain, pet poop, or soemthing else visably icky. Also very unlikely since the landscaping mostly mitigates against the need to worry.

bepsf - If you are just hooking up with random people at a bar, the truth probably is you'll both be too drunk to care about the shoes. Otherwise, a pair of slippers or socks are very light so there's no excuse. But again I don't have friends or family as rude as you.

I'm so with the poster above - if you are being invited to a friend's apartment/condo, do yourself a favor and realize how much noise those shoes will be making on the people who live below them - especially high heels.

I'm beginning to wonder if I am the only woman (or even person) on this board who owns less than five pairs of shoes. Shoes wouldn't make or break any outfit I come up with.

NO way shoes inside. The streets are just too nasty with all sorts of crap on it. I leave in a basket near the door lots and lots of clean soft neutral colored organic socks and a variety of inexpensive flip flops that I wash on a regular bases.

I'd rather my friends left their shoes on. Young men typically do not have feet that smell like flowers :p

It would offend me if they took them off and left my house smelling like feet.

Oh god, this is an issue for me. Living in Michigan one would assume you would take your shoes off when coming over to someones brand new house with brand new white rugs, but I've had to ask literally EVERY person to take their shoes off at the door. Relatives, friends...its really baffling. I've also noticed friends who take off their shoes at the door, but then proceed to walk into the living room and sit on the couch to put their shoes on, which defeats the purpose. My only exception is when we're entertaining- shoes are usually part of an outfit and I get that.

I do shoes off. I've never understood why anyone would want to spread what's on the bottom of their shoes all around their house. Shoes off keeps the floors and upholstery clean and gives everyone's feet a break from the confinement of their shoes. If I am hosting a cocktail party, I will make an exception. Otherwise, it's shoes off at my house.

This again? The shoes-on people think the shoes-off people are uptight, OCD nutcases.

The shoes-off people think the shoes-on people are uncouth cretins.

This discussion has been done to death on AT.

I prefer bare feet in the summer and wool socks in winter. But as far as guests are concerned...I prefer they take their shoes off, but don't make a fuss if they don't. I guess I'm polite on this matter.

We're having a housewarming this weekend and I've informed all the invitees that we have a shoes-off house (it's the middle of a New England winter!) so they can be prepared to show off their best hosiery or bring indoor shoes. I don't think any of our guests will be offended.